Thousands attend event on health care law

Reliant Center event provides answers on Obamacare, tries to help people sign up for it

By Kiah Collier

Updated 10:18 pm, Saturday, October 12, 2013

Photo: James Nielsen, Staff

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Attendees line up for flu shots at Saturday's Be Covered Houston Care Fair, part of an effort to inform residents about the new federal health care law.

Attendees line up for flu shots at Saturday's Be Covered Houston Care Fair, part of an effort to inform residents about the new federal health care law.

Photo: James Nielsen, Staff

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Antonia Alejandre uses one of several laptop computers set up Saturday at the Be Covered Houston Care Fair, which is part of a statewide education and outreach campaign sponsored by Blue Cross and Blue Shield at the Reliant Center in Houston. less

Antonia Alejandre uses one of several laptop computers set up Saturday at the Be Covered Houston Care Fair, which is part of a statewide education and outreach campaign sponsored by Blue Cross and Blue Shield ... more

Photo: James Nielsen, Staff

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Xiang Li holds his daughter, Allison, as the 4-year-old receives a flu shot Saturday at the Be Covered Houston Care Fair.

Xiang Li holds his daughter, Allison, as the 4-year-old receives a flu shot Saturday at the Be Covered Houston Care Fair.

Photo: James Nielsen, Staff

Thousands attend event on health care law

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Shortly before moving from San Diego to Houston this year, Jenny Bello underwent her second surgery to treat cervical cancer.

In recent weeks, the young, soft-spoken mom has experienced abnormal bleeding but has not seen a doctor because she doesn't know if her California-issued catastrophic insurance will work here.

Bello and her family were among several thousand Houston-area residents who attended an event at Reliant Center on Saturday to learn about their options under the new federal health care law and to get free medical screenings, flu shots and groceries.

Many attendees, however, were unable to sign up for insurance coverage because of problems with the federal enrollment website that have persisted since it went live Oct. 1.

The event was sponsored by Blue Cross Blue Shield, one of four providers offering insurance plans to Houstonians under the Affordable Care Act, commonly called Obamacare. Insurance exchanges opened nationwide this month under President Barack Obama's signature legislation.

An estimated 30 percent of Houston-area residents are uninsured.

Bello's husband, Manolo Cruz, has insurance through his work, but she and their 9-year-old daughter, Juliette, are not covered.

"It's very important for us to be here today because of my situation," Bello, currently unemployed, said while standing in line to talk to a trained counselor about enrollment options.

Website woes

A station at Reliant included several laptops so people could sign up through www.healthcare.gov, the website where residents in 36 states, including Texas, can enroll for insurance under the law. More than 2.5 million Texans are expected to be eligible to sign up.

"The website, it's patchy, so some people are getting further and some are not," said Trilena Amos, outreach and enrollment manager for Legacy Community Health Services, one of two clinic operators that staffed the station.

Amos, though, said they were able to help people create log-in accounts,one of the first steps in the process.

More than a dozen people showed up who already had enrolled successfully and just wanted to learn more about plan options, she said.

Others had health insurance but wanted to check about getting cheaper coverage.

Legacy spokesman Randall Ellis stressed that people have until Dec. 15 to enroll in coverage that takes effect Jan. 1.

While Bello could not enroll Saturday, her husband said they at least learned about where she could go see a doctor for her abnormal bleeding.

"First we've got to get the insurance that can cover most of the cost," he said.

Four-state campaign

The event, held as a budget stalemate dragged on in Washington, D.C., over Obamacare, was the first of its kind in Texas. It was directly organized by a four-state campaign that Blue Cross Blue Shield launched this year, called Be Covered, to educate people about the new law.

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Edward James, who lost his health insurance when he was laid off 13 months ago, said he attended to find out about his coverage options while he continues looking for work. He also came to take advantage of the free screenings, and was surprised to learn that he has high blood pressure.

"They're going to get back with me on that and see if I qualify," James said of the insurance coverage. "I got a number to call and put a lot of things into motion."